Disability Gets Just 2 Cents on the Philanthropic Dollar – This Funder Aims to Change That

Why Disability Funding Falls Short

More than one billion people worldwide live with a disability. In the United States, about one in four adults does. Disability touches every family, every community, and eventually, most of us directly. Yet when foundations write their checks each year, disability gets just two cents on the philanthropic dollar. That's according to recent data from the Disability & Philanthropy Forum. And within that tiny slice, funding for disability rights and social justice work is even smaller—just a fraction of a percent. Most money goes to services and support, not to the systemic change that creates lasting impact.

This gap is strange for a sector built on expanding opportunity. But one funder is working hard to close it.

Meet the Funder Leading Change

Griffen Stapp is the Executive Director of Ability Central and the California Communications Access Foundation (CCAF). These organizations help Deaf people, disabled people, and anyone facing communication barriers get equal access to information, services, and opportunity. Stapp has spent over 20 years in finance, operations, and nonprofit leadership. He has also served on nonprofit boards supporting the disability community for more than two decades and taught college courses for over a decade.

“Education and access to information are powerful tools for creating opportunity,” Stapp says. Under his leadership, Ability Central still funds grants but has expanded its role. “We're intentionally growing beyond just being a funder. Our vision is to be a trusted resource, convener, and collaborative partner for accessible technology, communication access, workforce development, and disability inclusion.”

Listen Before You Build

After watching nonprofits succeed and fail from the board table, Stapp knows what separates lasting change from a good annual report: who is in the room when decisions are made.

“Organizations creating lasting impact listen before they build,” he says. The strongest grantees stay close to the people they serve. They engage disabled people as partners in finding problems, shaping solutions, and checking what works. “Learning from those with lived experience drives innovation,” he adds.

The same principle applies to competition between nonprofits. Instead of guarding their turf, the best organizations share expertise and refer people elsewhere. “Our goal is to strengthen the entire accessibility ecosystem, not just expand our own footprint,” Stapp says.

Building a Strategy That Survives Policy Changes

The past year has been tough for disability policy. Funding fights, shifting rules, and program cuts have left many organizations unsure what comes next.

Stapp’s answer? Stop building around policy. “Focus on needs that stay constant, no matter what happens with funding or public policy,” he says. Laws and budgets will keep changing. But the demand for reliable information, effective communication, meaningful jobs, and accessible technology will not.

That’s why Ability Central diversifies—both in the challenges it tackles and the partners it works with. “No single organization has the resources or expertise to address every challenge,” Stapp says. So the foundation leans on relationships with disability organizations, employers, and tech partners to share knowledge and avoid duplication. The goal is to “build sustainable capacity around the needs we know will continue to exist.”

Funders Getting It Right

Despite the low numbers, a few funders are shifting philanthropy from charity to justice. Here are some examples:

• Ford Foundation – Builds disability into its core U.S. strategy. It also helped start the Presidents’ Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy.
• MacArthur Foundation – Co-backs the Disability Inclusion Fund at Borealis Philanthropy, which supports organizations run by and for disabled people.
• GitLab Foundation & Truist Foundation – Both invest in closing the disability employment gap.
• The Chicago Community Trust – Runs a Disabilities Fund using participatory grantmaking, putting disabled voices at the center.

These examples are still the exception, not the rule. The playbook exists—what’s missing is scale.

AI: Opportunity and Pitfalls

Stapp is excited about AI for the disability community—but with a big warning.

“AI is one of the most exciting opportunities in years, but only if accessibility is built in from the start,” he says. Done well, AI can simplify complex information, personalize learning, boost workplace productivity, and help disabled people navigate education and jobs. That’s why Ability Central supports Project Level Up, a program that helps disabled young adults use AI for job searches, resumes, interviews, and daily communication—while also learning about its limits and biases.

The downside? What Stapp calls “AI slop.” Many products slap on an AI label without including disabled people in development or testing. Accessibility becomes an afterthought. “AI shouldn’t replace people—it should empower them,” he says. “When we get that balance right, AI becomes a powerful tool for opportunity, independence, and inclusion.”

Advice for Funders Who Never Funded Disability

For foundations that have never built disability into their strategy, Stapp offers a simple reframe: this was never a niche cause.

“Disability is not a niche issue. It’s a universal human experience that touches every family, community, and stage of life,” he says. Nearly everyone knows someone with a disability. Yet that familiarity rarely leads to investment. Some funders still think the community is too small. The opposite is true. Disability spans every age, race, culture, and income level. And investment in accessibility benefits everyone—older adults, veterans, families, and caregivers too.

His practical advice? Start with your current portfolio. Education, healthcare, workforce development, housing, the arts, and economic mobility programs already include disabled people—whether you realize it or not. “Looking at your work through an accessibility lens often strengthens the impact of programs you’re already supporting,” Stapp says. Organizations that ask questions and learn alongside the community see the biggest returns.

Why Communication Access Stays Invisible

Communication access—the area where Ability Central and CCAF built their reputation—remains hard to fund because it works best when no one notices it.

“When communication access is done well, it’s almost invisible,” Stapp says. A ramp is obvious. But captions, ASL interpretation, plain language, accessible websites, and assistive technology are not—even though they make participation possible. As more life moves online, Stapp sees an opening for philanthropy to fund communication access as infrastructure, not just project-by-project services.

Partnerships That Last

Stapp has seen many cross-sector partnerships start with fanfare and fizzle out. He knows what makes the difference.

“Change happens when organizations stop asking ‘How can we solve this?’ and start asking ‘How can we solve this together?’” he says. No single nonprofit, funder, company, or government agency can do it alone. That’s why Ability Central acts as a connector—bringing together nonprofits, funders, employers, and tech companies with disabled people at the center. “Accessibility isn’t something one organization delivers. It’s something we build together.”

Two cents on the dollar is not a number philanthropy should accept. Stapp believes the sector’s slow shift toward disability inclusion can speed up—if more funders follow the lead of those already doing the work.